Bed Rest
by Paint Splat
Summary: Nico is confined to a bed in the infirmary for three days, his only contact being Will Solace, the son of Apollo who is concerned for his health. Will/Nico. Contains spoilers for Blood of Olympus.
1. Can't Fight Against the Youth (Day One)

_a/n: So yeah, I just finished BoO, and naturally the first thing I had to do was write a Solangelo fic. And it's typical of me to think of a multichapter too :/ Updates may not be frequent because I have a busy schedule, but I have high hopes for this and I'm feeling pretty inspired, so who knows? A new chapter may appear as soon as next week. Speaking of chapters, this was a relatively short one, but the next one will be longer, I promise xx_

_Please tell me what you thought, I love getting comments._

* * *

><p>Nico woke early in the morning at around eight o'clock. His head heart slightly from the bright light that was streaming into the room through the window and directly hitting him. He rubbed his eyes, trying to get the last dredges of sleep out of them, and propped himself up on his elbows.<p>

He observed his surroundings groggily. He was in an almost blindingly white room that was sparsely furnished. There was a pale oak wooden table next to his bed that matched the floor, and on it there were a vase of flowers - he couldn't tell which type. Nico grimaced. The son of Hades and nature had been proven to be a toxic combination.

The rest of his room was empty. There was a door to the right of him, presumably leading off into the rest of the infirmary.

As Nico started to regain his senses (he was never a morning person) he remembered now where he was, but still had no idea how long he had slept for. He had no memory of falling asleep here either, but the one thing he could remember was the last person he'd seen had been Will Solace.

Awakening more at the thought of the son of Apollo, he sat up in bed and was just about to swing his legs around and go find him, the door swung open.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Nico thought with a small chuckle, as Will Solace entered way too cheerily for ten past eight in the morning. The guy almost exploded with sunshine. Considering who Will's dad was, Nico wouldn't be surprised.

Will wore his usual attire of an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, ripped blue jeans and flip-flops, the only out of place items being the stethoscope that hung around his neck and the clipboard he held in his hand. He sauntered closer to the bed and greeted Nico with a smile.

"Morning sunshine." Will grinned down at him. Nico resisted the urge to squint.

"Have you been watching me?" It was the only reason Will could have known he was awake. There was no other way in other than the door. Nico pictured briefly Will crouched outside the window, clipboard in hand and only his sandy hair visible, and grinned inwardly.

Will held up his hands almost defensively. "I'm just trying to keep a close watch on you, Death Boy. Make sure your vitals are stable and all that jazz."

"That explains the hospital gown," he said dully, tugging at the offensive piece of clothing he was wearing. At least he was wearing a pair of pajama pants underneath.

At least he wasn't _naked_.

A light blush ghosted across his cheeks and he tore his gaze back up to look into Will's eyes.

He shrugged. "Standard procedure. Which reminds me!" With a smile, he lifted up the stethoscope. "Take off your shirt."

Nico's cheeks reddened even more. "E-excuse me?" he asked.

Will had the decency to blush too. "I need to take your, um, pulse."

"Right, right," Nico said hurriedly, undoing the knots on his gown and letting it drop on the crisp white sheets.

Will placed the cool metal of the stethoscope on Nico's chest. There was silence for a minute, and Nico had to resist the strong urge to hold in his breath. Will was looking down, focused on Nico's chest and making him feel slightly uncomfortable, but then he looked up and Nico met his blue eyes, and suddenly the metal felt awfully cold against Nico's boiling skin. He couldn't ever remember a time he had felt this warm. Usually his skin was ice cold. Now it was like he was starting to thaw - and fast.

Will coughed slightly and drew away, furiously making notes on the sheet of paper attached to his clipboard. Nico took this as a sign he could tie up his hospital gown again and gladly took this opportunity.

"Uh ... is everything OK?" he asked. Will had now stopped writing and was just frowning at his clipboard as if it was giving him a very stern telling-off for writing too much.

Will finally looked up after about three seconds, and pierced Nico was a look so intense his heart nearly froze, and he seriously considered the fact that something might me seriously wrong.

"How in Apollo's name are you still breathing?" he muttered, still staring at Nico; he almost seemed transfixed.

"Will?" Nico whispered.

Will shook his head and seemed to pull himself out of his trance.

"You just need fattening up," Will said with a bright smile - but it almost seemed too bright, too sunny and cheerful. Nico had, over the years, become better and better at recognizing fake smiles.

"Fattening up and lots of sunshine." Will walked over to the window and Nico was surprised to see the curtain was only slightly open. What with the amount of light in the room he'd figured the curtains had to be wide open.

Will tugged on the curtains and opened them fully, letting a blast of light enter the room and hit Nico directly. He put his hand up to shield his eyes, and was surprised that the window was larger than he'd originally thought, and he could see most of the camp from his little solitary confinement room. The sun had already risen high and was shining a golden glow on the Athena Parthenos. She cast her shadow away from the camp. Nico was never really big on metaphors but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was symbolic. The war was over, Gaia was vanquished and life went on.

"Sunshine," Will said again with a smile, and Nico scoffed.

"They'll be plenty of sunshine if you're around," he said, and immediately regretted it. There was a reason he didn't go around saying stuff like that, because the look that Will gave him afterwards nearly made him stop breathing. Again.

"A little patch of sunshine to break through your petite little doom cloud." Will smirked.

Nico scowled. "I don't have a doom cloud," he said, realising too late he sounded like a bratty child. He also realised Will hadn't reacted to what he'd said before and gave a small sigh of relief.

Will leaned down to look Nico in the eye and gave him a sympathetic smile. "That's exactly what someone who didn't have a doom cloud would say."

"What even is a doom cloud?" Nico asked.

"I have no idea," said Will, and they couldn't help but laugh, filling the stark white room with joy.

"I'm going to get breakfast. What do you want?" Will asked.

Nico blanched. "I'm not really a breakfast person - " he began to say.

"Fruit it is then."

Nico didn't try to protest, though as Will started to walk towards the door he felt a pang run through his body, and he almost found himself wishing the son of Apollo had stayed longer. Almost.

"Wait," he said, and Will turned around swiftly as Nico said his name, "one last question: what am I supposed to do all day, sit around and count the floorboards?"

Will flashed him a Cheshire cat grin. "Ponder the meaning of life? Write some poetry? I'm sure you could squeeze a mean haiku out of your head."

"No haikus," Nico said, barely suppressing his groan.

"Haikus are badass, okay?" Will said, before a more serious expression crossed his face. "All jokes aside, my little doom cloud, you should get some rest. You've been asleep for just under twenty-four hours yet you look like you got dragged through a hedge by a hellhound."

Nico sulked a bit at that suggestion, though inside he was secretly pleased and a bit embarrassed. Was 'doom cloud' going to be his permanent nickname now? He hoped not, it was stupid. But when Will said it suddenly it wasn't so dumb.

"Were you expecting me to entertain you?" Will asked with a small smile, his blue eyes glittering. Nico blushed, seemingly for no clear reason. he cursed to himself silently.

"I have work to do Nico, and other patients to treat. I'll bring you breakfast and then I have to go. But I'll be back in the evening to sort out those nasty stitches of yours."

He turned away again and opened the door, before looking back one more time. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but evidently decided against it, and he left, closing the door gently behind him.

Nico groaned out loud, falling back down onto the plush pillow and soft mattress. His small form nearly sunk into it, like he was being swallowed by the ocean. Already he could feel the boredom creeping up on him, but he swore then and there the last thing he would resort to would be haikus.

He stared at the stitches on his arm and thought about Will coming to restitch them. His face grew hot and he groaned again, covering it with his hands.

He had to get himself under control, before he did something drastic.

Three days of bed rest could make anybody do crazy things.


	2. Asleep (Night One)

_a/n: So sorry for the long wait, but here is chapter two! I have a feeling all updates will be bi-weekly, but I am on holiday this week, so who knows? I may have chapter 3 out by the end of this week if I'm lucky!_

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave me feedback of what you thought xx_

* * *

><p>Nico spent most of his day staring out the window, watching camp life go on without him. As evening came about the sky darkened to a cerulean blue, and the stars started to appear. He had been lying here all day on his own, and was starting to get restless. He didn't see the point in being stuck here for three days - all it was doing was making him think. If there was one thing Nico avoided, it was thinking. That lead to dark places he didn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole.<p>

So he tried endlessly to take his mind off things. He'd eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner (and tried to guess every single ingredient that was in them), counted the number of tiles on the ceiling (three hundred and forty-four), he'd thought all about his new plans for the interior of the Hades cabin, and he'd even started making up a haiku. He hadn't gotten far though; poetry wasn't really his thing.

At the thought of poetry Will sprang into his head. Thinking about the son of Apollo made Nico want to crawl into a hole and hide his face, safe in the darkness, forever. Will made him nervous - Will made him want to tell his secrets.

Nico had been sitting up for the past hour, looking at the approaching night; it looked as if it was laying down a blanket of peace onto Camp Half-Blood. He sighed. After years pf feeling like he had nowhere to be, now he had two homes that gladly welcomed him. A rush of affection flooded through him, but as soon as it did, he heard footsteps approaching him room. He quickly laid down again and rumpled the sheets, trying not to look like he'd been sitting up.

Will opened the door, smiling at Nico, and he impulsively smiled back, before putting his neutral expression back on.

"The doctor is in," Will said with a smirk, walking over to stand beside Nico's bed.

Nico smiled back, but inside her was studying Will's face intently - the way his lips turned up when she grinned, the way his blue eyes had a warmth about them just like the sun, and the way he seemed to inexplicably care about people. It felt different with Nico, though - like something that wasn't quite there yet.

The son of Apollo made him confused, and while Nico was used to it, it didn't make things any easier.

"Write any good haikus today then?" Will asked, pulling open one of the drawers of the bedside table and getting a needle and thread, along with some disinfectant and bandages.

"Not really."

"Shame. You could be a good poet if you put your mind to it. All that pent-up anger and the like." Will grinned. "Now, off with your shirt."

"Again?" Nico asked, undoing the ties. "You could try and be a bit more subtle about it, Will."

"Just doing my job, doom cloud." Nico felt his face flush with the nickname. He cursed inwardly. It wasn't even a _nice_ nickname. Yet somehow Will managed to get to him, and he had no control over the effect the blonde boy had on him.

Will bent down and inspected the stitches that decorated Nico's pale skin. He pulled a face, and Nico couldn't help but smile at the way his nose crinkled.

"This will only hurt a bit," Will said, concentrating on the wound.

Nico closed his eyes as Will worked, trying to ignore how warm his fingers felt against Nico's ice cold skin.

"All done," Will said after a while, and Nico opened his eyes to find Will staring at him with big blue eyes, warm and inviting.

"Thanks," Nico said, holding his stare for several seconds before looking away. Will stretched after a moment.

"Now, try and get some rest. It's vital you get into the habit of sleeping properly in order for your energy to be restored," Will said. Nico tied back on his hospital gown and lay down, trying his best to get comfortable. However nice the bed might have been, it felt like concrete to him.

Will stood there for a moment, as if she was trying to say something. Finally, he gruffly said, "I'll see you in the morning," and left, shutting the door gently behind him.

The curtains were still open, and now the moonlight was the only source of light illuminating the room, and turning everything silver.

Will had seemed ... off. Had Nico upset him?

It wasn't as if he cared though.

But had he?

Nico sighed and stared up at the ceiling, before squeezing his eyes shut and trying to get some rest - and get lingering thought's of Will Solace's impossible blue eyes out of his head.

* * *

><p>The nightmares came to him as they always did, in a haze of smoke and despair. He saw everyone he cared about dying. He saw Tartarus, flashes of things he had blocked out but were now starting to reappear. His nightmares were fire and fury and anger and pain, and he couldn't escape them, couldn't breathe. They were choking and smothering him, enveloping him in his past.<p>

He couldn't see, couldn't move, couldn't do anything but let them wash over him like a tidal wave, and then he was screaming out loud - a long, guttural sound that tore through his bones.

And suddenly he was awake again, sweating and shaking and panicked, looking around the room and trying to figure out where he was. As his breathing slowed, he followed the light of the moon down from the window onto where it was shining onto a pair of big blue eyes. He nearly had a heart attack until he realised it was Will, in an unbuttoned plaid shirt and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, his hair ruffled.

"Nico, it's okay. I'm here to help," he said, his eyes filled with concern. Staring into them, Nico couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rising through him.

"Is that what you're here for? Why you're hanging out with me? You want to fix the poor little broken son of Hades? Well, this may come as a newsflash, but I am not broken, and I don't seem some mighty healer waltzing around thinking he can solve all my problems with the power of love, or some bullshit like that!" Nico snapped. He realised he was panicked and shaken up, but he knew that what he said was the truth.

Will stared at him for a moment before standing up and leaving abruptly. His face was neutral. Nico sighed, running a hand through his hair, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he had royally screwed up.

He knew he shouldn't feel guilty, or bad, or anything like that. But a part of him remembered the look on Will's face as he left and felt like he wanted to cry.

He turned his head so fast that he could've gotten whiplash, as he heard the door open. Will walked in holding a glass of water, and set it down on the bedside table next to the flowers.

He sat down on the side of Nico's bed, his blonde air illuminated by the moonlight. Nico held his breath, waiting to Will to yell at him, to shun him and call him pathetic.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Nico whispered, unsure of what he was hearing.

"I said that I'm sorry," Will said in a low voice, staring at this hands, "because you're right. You're not broken, and you don't need saving. I just ... I'm a healer. It's my job to help people. If I'm not helping, then what's the point?" He gave a small shrug. "I just wanted to make you feel better." He stared up at Nico earnestly.

Nico took a sip of water, trying to process everything.

Will wasn't turning him away, or excluding him, or abandoning him. He was on his side.

Nico felt a rush of happiness. Lately everyone had been treading around him lightly. It seemed like only his friends accepted him - and now Will too.

Because, for some reason, Nico didn't quite see Will as a friend, and he wasn't sure what to think about that.

"Apology accepted," Nico said with a small smile.

"Yeah?" Will asked, his whole face lighting up like sunshine.

"Yeah." Nico nodded, trying not to laugh - Will looked like Christmas and his birthday had both come at once.

"Good." Will smiled. "That's good."

They sat in silence for a minute, but Nico didn't find it awkward. He didn't feel the need to say something. With Will, he felt comfortable, and he didn't know why that alarmed him so much.

He started to get drowsy and settled back down into the pillow.

"You don't have to watch me sleep, you know," Nico said with a small smirk, staring up at Will. The son of Apollo stood up and stretched.

"Don't worry, I'm not Edward Cullen or anything."

"What?" Nico scrunched up his face in confusion. Will stared for a second.

"Shaking his head, he said, "Never mind. Do you want me to help you sleep?" He froze, eyes widening. "I understand if you don't, that's fine too. I -"

"Yes," Nico said, partly because he wanted Will's help, and partly because he wanted to stop the boy from having a heart attack.

Will smiled, and Nico smiled back on impulse.

The son of Apollo laid his head on Nico's forehead and concentrated, closing his eyes. Nico felt a warmth spread around his body, from his head to the bottom of his feet, like a blanket being laid down over him. It made him feel content, and he sighed, immediately relaxing onto the pillow and closing his eyes.

"Rest," Will muttered.

Will took his hand away, but the warmth remained.

"Goodnight," he said.

Nico mumbled something incomprehensible back, before falling asleep.


End file.
